Introducing Laurène to some old friends
We went over to our friends’ apartment tonight for a wonderful dinner, all of which was homemade:
- Artisan cheeses, including blue, manchego, and cheddar; toasted baguette slices; roasted almonds; green olives
- Toasted baguette slices with sauteed mushrooms
- Fresh gazpacho
- Braised, slow-cooked lamb shoulder in a chile sauce with masa harina buttermilk dumplings
- Nectarine galette with fresh whipped cream
- Mixed berries with shortcake
As you can see, it was quite a feast. I knew ahead of time that things were going to be toward the gourmet end of the spectrum, so I decided to bring a bottle of 2002 Domaine Drouhin Laurène.
After decanting for about 2 hours, the wine turned out to be fabulous as you would expect. Here’s the lowdown:
- Aroma: Deeply floral and berry fruity bouquet; lovely as it opened up.
- Flavor: Thick yet smooth tannic activity with lovely black and sour red cherries on the tongue; soft mid-palate with a slight spicy earthiness to it; fairly long finish with great acidic balance.
- General impression: As always, a terrific, earthy and subtly spicy, complex, Burgundian-style Pinot Noir. It really did take 2 hours in the decanter to bring all the elements together, though.
So yes, the Laurène was a great match for the lamb dish. My wife had halibut and mashed sweet potatoes, so her dish was also good with the wine but quite different (and much milder with regard to spice and seasoning) than the lamb.
Every once in a while, I get this feeling while I’m eating. It’s unrelated to the company, or the atmosphere, or the location. It’s just this feeling that washes over me as I’m eating really terrific food. If I had to describe the feeling, it’s sort of a slightly euphoric feeling that always makes me grateful for such wonderful food. It’s a rare feeling and it can happen at odd times in odd places. I guess it’s the way I feel when the food I’m eating is precisely what I had hoped to eat at that specific moment in time. Maybe.
Anyway, I got that feeling tonight as I took a bite of lamb with dumpling. Damn. I look forward to many more such incredible dinners! I’ve got enough wine to go around for a while….